Friday, April 2, 2021

SAINTS EARN FIRST WIN AT SPU: Saint Martin’s picked up its first win of the season with a 2-1 victory at Seattle Pacific on Mar. 24. The Saints then dropped a tough 3-2 home match against Division III Pacific Lutheran in overtime on Wednesday.

Senior forward Jason Fairhurst wasted no time in scoring against SPU, notching his first goal of the season in just the second minute. Senior defender Stephen Murray was named the GNAC Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after he anchored a Saint Martin’s defense that limited the Falcons to one goal and four shots on goal. Murray also scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.

Freshman midfielder Caden Martin scored the Saints’ first goal in the loss to PLU. Fellow freshman midfielder David Settle’s first collegiate goal was a big one as he tied the match at 2-2 in the 86th minute off an assist from junior defender Brian Licona to force overtime. The Lutes’ Keeton Heggerness scored the golden goal in the 95th minute.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hunter Askland earned the win against SPU, allowing just the one goal to go with three saves. He is 1-1-1 on the season with eight saves and a 1.55 goals against average.

The Saints will host the Lutes again Friday afternoon and then will hit the road to play at Northwest Nazarene on April 8 and 10.

BACK AT INTERBAY: Seattle Pacific split its two home matches last week to open the season, losing to Saint Martin’s, 2-1, on Mar. 24 before bouncing back to top Division III Pacific Lutheran, 3-1, on Saturday.

The Falcons outshot the Saints 14-9 but were only able to put up four shots on goal in the loss. Senior midfielder Sam Malloch scored the lone goal.

Sophomore midfielder Tyler Speer was named the GNAC Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the win over the Lutes. Speer scored the opening goal in the 23rd minute off an assist from senior forward Titus Grant and then notched an insurance goal in the 55th off an assist from sophomore forward Owen Gortner. Grant scored the second goal for the Falcons, unassisted, in the 54th minute, just 29 seconds before Speer’s second goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cam Welty played all 90 minutes and earned his first win of the season against the Lutes. He made six saves on eight shots on goal.

The Falcons return to competition on April 10 as they host Division III Puget Sound.

VIKINGS OPEN WASHINGTON-LOADED SCHEDULE: Defending GNAC champion Western Washington scheduled six matches this spring, all against Washington programs. The Vikings opened their season with a 1-0 loss to Division III Puget Sound at home on Saturday.

Western Washington and Puget Sound both put up 11 shots, but the Vikings registered just one shot on goal to the Loggers’ six. Sophomore defender Theo Steinmetz had the only shot on goal for the Vikings while senior midfielder Georg Cholewa tallied three shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Brandon Locke made four saves and kept the Loggers scoreless through 58 minutes.

The Vikings will look to pick up their first win of the season as they host NAIA Northwest (Wash.) on April 10.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE: Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene have had a long break from competition after an early start to the season.

Montana State Billings hasn’t taken the pitch since it tied crosstown rival Rocky Mountain, 0-0, on Feb. 27. The Yellowjackets beat the Bears, 3-2, on Feb. 24 to open their season. Junior forwards Edgar Ramirez and Austin Shafer and junior defender Bryan Maxwell notched the three goals for MSUB.

Northwest Nazarene last saw competition in early March in Lacey, Washington. The Nighthawks tied Saint Martin’s, 1-1, on Mar. 4 before beating the Saints, 2-0, on Mar. 6.

Junior defender Lorenzo Valentini and senior forward Jake Levine lead all GNAC players this spring with three goals apiece while freshman midfielder Lukas Juodkunaitis leads the conference field with four assists, eight points and 3.40 shots per game. Sophomore goalkeeper Sawyer Price is 3-1-1 on the season with 15 saves and a 1.04 goals against average and earned the shutout against Saint Martin’s on Mar. 6.

Montana State Billings will continue its season at Carroll (Mont.) on April 11. Northwest Nazarene will finish its season with a pair of home matches against Saint Martin’s on April 8 and 10.

Due to the continued closure of the U.S./Canada border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Fraser will not compete in soccer this season.